“I knew Dad had outlived all of his friends and college buddies, and he wouldn’t be getting any birthday cards in the mail… It was the most heartwarming gesture.”
‘It was the most heartwarming gesture that told me America still cares.’: WWII Purple Heart recipient received 100,000 birthday cards after daughter’s viral plea
‘Our last hope.’: After losing two babies, endometriosis warrior births miracle baby in final shot at IVF
“We had now lost our second baby. We only had one embryo left, and one last chance at having a biological child.”
‘Silvery, beautiful tattoos,’ my daughter said as she traced the stretch marks on my tummy with her fingertips.’: Mom shares journey with eating disorders and self-acceptance
“If we want to feel beautiful, we have to let ourselves be beautiful.”
‘Dad said, ‘I really hope I get to see you again. If anyone can beat the system, it’s you.’ GAME ON.’: Woman thanks kindness of strangers for aiding her to visit dad in hospital bed
“I borrowed a Sharpie from the nice lady at the counter and wrote inside a donut box. Curious, she asked what I was up to. ‘I’m trying to covertly communicate with the nurses on my dad’s hospital floor.’ Then I detailed all the ways I’d be willing to sneak in if they’d let me, including wearing a disguise, hiding in a laundry cart, or lying very still on a gurney covered in a sheet.”
‘The dance of cutting kite strings while weaving ropes. Pushing away, but still needing.’: Mom shares emotional ups and downs of parenting teens
“16 is you being even more effortlessly you. Even if you can’t see it.”
‘I rarely text first. I forget to respond. I don’t initiate hangouts much. And I cancel often.’: Mom shares PSA on adult friendships
“The societal image of female friendships is hanging out weekly, dropping everything for one another, remembering every special date, regular FaceTimes and phone calls and texts and life updates and get-togethers and celebrations and a million other things. And I can’t keep up.”
Dear Pandemic Baby: However Dark It Felt At Times, There Was Twice As Much Light Because Of You
“I never knew love like this, until I met you.”
‘I had so many questions: Would he ever hear my voice? Would he learn to talk? Would he live a normal life?’: Mom shares son’s hearing disorder journey, ‘We could not be more proud’
“We call him ‘Hearo Harrison’ because he has his own superpower—his magic ears.”
‘We live in a 4-bedroom home and this is us. Every night, every morning.’: Widower shares sweet way he supports grieving kids
“It’s been almost 2 years since they lost their mommy. I used to fight it. I’d tell them they’d get better rest in their own beds. To give it a chance. That their beds are more comfortable than my floor. It took me almost 2 years, but I get it now.”
‘My stepdaughter exploded a ketchup packet all over herself, me, my antique rug, and a dining room chair. If my five-year-old had done this, I would have FLIPPED.’: Woman shares realization about step-motherhood
“The thought hit me…I don’t treat my stepchild like my own kids—I treat her so much better.”
‘It’s not that we don’t feel loved. We don’t feel like anyone really wants to hear about our struggles.’: Special needs mom urges ‘listening is an act of love’
“I know what it’s like to join the conversation, only to feel the air in the room slowly dissipate. I know what it’s like to open up about your day, only to have someone quickly change the subject to something more ‘light.’ It makes us feel invisible.”
‘The waiting and the wonder. That girl, that belly, those aches. That ‘we’re doing this’ feeling.’: Mom reminisces on sweet childbirth memories
“I drove by the hospital you were born at the other day. Isn’t it strange how places hold our memories too?”
Don’t Worry What Others Say About You—What You Say To Yourself Is Far More Powerful Than Anything They Could Throw Your Way
“Your brain will believe whatever you continuously tell it, so make sure you tell it all the good things you want for your life.”
‘A vault of my secrets left when she did. Part of my history, too. I was as changed by her departure as I was bonded to her arrival.’: Woman shares grief journey after losing best friend
“We used to proudly say we knew each other for over half of our lives. But as mine continues to go on, I live with pervasive thoughts of knowing it was only ever half for her.”
‘The pastor’s wife gifted me the book ‘Redeeming Love.’ I read it and wept. I had no idea it was so controversial. It felt healing.’: Sexual abuse survivor shares perspective, ‘your experience is not mine’
“The abuse I endured is not a distant memory, it affects me to this day.”
‘We were watching a movie when my phone rang. My stomach dropped. We were shocked, but our hearts were open.’: Parents share rollercoaster journey to open adoption
“She was in my arms, she was real, and she was ours. For the first time, I sobbed happy tears.”
‘I’ve watched my body fail at so many things I was told were natural to my biology.’: Mom of 3 urges ‘there’s no universal motherhood journey’
“I’ve listened as women explained to me how it should be while knowing it was never how it would be for me. I had to learn to give more of myself than I even knew how to give.”
Dear Parents: What Matters Most Is Your Presence, NOT YOUR PRESENTS
“If you ask any of my kids when they feel the most loved, they won’t rattle off to you about when I take ’em to a play place or Disney or on some grandiose vacation. They won’t say it’s when I buy them something costly or give them ‘yes days.’ They’ll talk about today.”
‘Last night, I was a straight-up grumpy a-hole to my kids at bedtime.’: Mom shares reminder ‘you’re allowed to feel overwhelmed’
“I’ve got one who fights falling asleep because it makes her tummy feel weird. One who has trouble falling and staying asleep because her brain is consistently on overdrive. And one who, like clockwork, wakes up around 3 a.m. for anything and everything.”
I Spent My Entire 20s Building A ‘Perfect’ Life, And Then It Exploded
“I had goals. A plan. I was running on adrenaline and pure fear of failing. I did whatever I had to do to get where I was going. In hindsight, I put bandaids on bullet holes. Not knowing that most of the bullet holes were in me.”
My Son Isn’t Going To College, And That’s Okay
“He stood before me, looking suddenly very small, and said, ‘I don’t think I want to go to college. School is too much for me.’ I looked at my baby and said, ‘OK, you don’t have to go. Let’s discuss options.’ I could feel the air release from his lungs.”
‘Those long snuggles become short ones, and eventually, become history.’: Mom emphasizes importance of holding onto each moment with your children
“Even when we know it’s coming, we don’t know for sure when it will be. The last time you see their natural hair. The last time you’ll coordinate the perfect outfit. The last time they ask for your permission. Or, that last load of laundry.”
‘Life has me trapped in a cycle of change, grief, acceptance – repeat. It’s brutal, but somehow a blessing.’: Mom shares how sons’ degenerative disease has changed their family
“Every day I watch my boys fight one of the most challenging diseases in existence. Not only do they inspire the world around them, but they inspire us to live like them. We are more empathetic, kind, and loving people because of the path we’ve been forced to travel.”
‘He spent all these years doubling his efforts and hiding his struggle so much, he almost fooled a doctor.’: Mom proud of son’s courage after being medicated for ADHD
“He was self-aware enough to know he needed this, and he’s shown no inkling of shame about asking for help.”
Not Every Season Tells Your Story—Some Are Just Part Of It
“Stop beating yourself up for seasons of feeling tired or mired. For seasons full of screwups and those where you felt a bit down. For any season where you rode the bench and were the furthest thing from an MVP.”